Cane-cart.



' N0. 730,901. PATBNTED JUNE 16, 1903" J. E. GAMALIELSON.

CANE CART.

APPLICATION rum) MAR. 13. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

ATTEET UNITED STATES,

Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CAN E-CART.

SPEC CATION formingoart of Letters Patent No. 730,901, dated June 16,1903.

Application filed March 13, 1902. Serial No. 97,985. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHAN E; GAMALIELQ SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at K an m an a, in the district of Hilo, Island ofHawaii, Territory of Hawaii, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cane- Carts; and I do declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention consists in a cane gathering and carrying cartsubstantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my newcart complete and equipped for field work, and Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the weighing device adapted to be used in connection therewithand to weigh the cane on the cart.

This new cart in practical size is about five feet long front to rear,five feet wide between its sides, and three feet deep and of sufficientcapacity to hold, say, one ton of green sugarcane; but it may be largeror smaller, if:desired. Under the cart bed or box B there is a weighingattachment, Fig. 2, and said attachment is provided with a detachableand adjustable standard S, with a weighing balance 2 and a weightadaptable to be adjusted behind the cart in order to weigh the contentsof the cart, after which the standard isremoved and hung on the side ofthe cart and the cart tipped backward until it strikes the ground, whenthe tail-board 3, which hangs on hinges at its top on box B, opensautomatically by the arm of catch 4 striking the ground or floor andallowing the contents to drop out behind, if desired.

The cart is provided with two shafts 6, one on each side, which extendabout four feet six inches in front of the cart, where they areconnected by a cross-bar 7. To the middle of said cross-bar is fastenedadraft-pole 8, where two or more horses are to be hitched for thepurpose of drawing and operating the cart.

At the front end of the cart is arranged a gatherer G, consisting of aseries of steel rods or prongs forming lift-fingers which are supported011 a steel rod 9, by which they have a free up-and-down or pivotedmotion. Said prongs or fingers are further supported by cross-rod l0,beneath the same; bell-cranklevers 11,.pivoted on drafts (5 andconnected by links 12 with said cross-rod; rock-shaft 13, having armsconnected by links 14 with said bell-cranks, and a hand-leverL, fixed tosaid shaft near the drivers seat. The said prongs are curved to theshape of a segment of a circle, so as to follow the ground when loweredto about a foot from the point, andwhen the cart is drawn forward withthe said gather-er with its relatively closeor numerous fingers 8 underthe cane or other substance that may be gathered i brings the samewithin reach of the system of rakes R, which take hold of the materialand draw or drag it into the cart off the gathering-fingers. This systemof rakes is an important part of the loading arrangement and consists offour or more bars H, of hickory or other light and strong material,which are hung on a crank-shaft J about midway their length and at theirrear ends have keepers 18, by which they are confined in respect tocross-bar 19 of the. cart-frame. The shaft J is supported in journals orboxes 011 the upper edges on the sides of the cart-body, which arestrengthened on the sides of the body by braces 20, as shown in thedrawings. On either end of the said shaft there is a sprocket-wheel 21provided and a chain-belt 22 run around a sprocket-wheel 23, fastened onthe inside of the hub of each wheel W' of the cart. The rake-bars H runlengthwise of the cart with their rear ends confined by their keepers 18and the bars 19 and 24 and side rounds 25. The rakes H are alternate intheir strokes, as shown, and the raker-bars must be lon enough to reachthe cane 011 the gathering device G in front and are provided with arake-head having two or more teeth, about one foot apart, whereby thecane is raked into the cart until it is full. Then thegatherer G israised by the driver operating the lever L, the cart driven to itsdestination,'and the contents weighed and dropped out behind or hoistedout of the cart, as the case may be. The cart is then ready again toproceed to the field, where it loads itself automatically as it is drawnforward, and so on continually, as already described.

Near the cross-bar 7, at the front of the shafts 6, is a curved axle orbeam 27, with wheels 28 on its ends and adapted to support the forwardportion of the cart and draft attachments. Ohains 29 connect this shaftwith the double-tree 30, and the draft-pole 8 is rigid therewith.

The weighing device is shown here as nearly the shape of a letter X,with a pivot at its middle for the bars 31 and 32 thereof and crossbars33 and 34: and goes in the bottom of the cart, as already described.

Something of the value of this invention may be estimated when it isconsidered that one man with two horses and one of these carts can dothe work that it formerly took eight men, four horses, and two sleds todo. It also obviates the necessity of hauling all the cane to one placefor weighing fora considerable distance around, and thereby causing themud to be Worked up in rainy weather, so that it was nearly impossibleto work in rainy weather, when a derrick was used in weighing the cane.Now with this cart, having the weighing-scale under the bed of the cart,the weight of the contents of the cart can be ascertained at any time orplace and the most convenient route to the destination followed withouthaving all the sleds or carts meeting at one point to weigh the cane.

What I claim is 1. In cane gathering and carrying carts, a box-shapedbody and wheels supporting said body, a series of gathering-fingersrunning in advance of the said body to raise the cane thereinto, adraft-frame extending forward of said fingers, mechanism on said frameto raise and lower said fingers comprising a rod extending acrossbeneath the fingers'between their ends and an operating-lever on thefront of said frame, substantially as described.

2 A cane-cart having a suitable body, a series of rake-bars and rakes todraw the cane into the cart, a crank-shaft carrying said bars andoperatively connected with the wheels of the cart to actuate the sameand means to confine the rear ends of said rake-bars comprising asupporting-frame having a crossbar on which said rake-bars are slidablyconfined at their rear ends, in combination with a series ofgathering-fingers supported at one end on said body, a frame projectingforward of said body and independent thereof, and means on said frame toraise and lower the front ends of said fingers substantially asdescribed.

3. The cart and the draft-frame thereon and lift-fingers for the canepivoted at its front and bottom, in combination with means to raise saidfingers supported on said draftframe, a drivers seat on the front ofsaid frame, a lever connected with said means for lifting said fingerslocated in proximity to said seat, and a series of rakes on the cart tocarry the cane off said fingers, substantially as described.

WVitness my hand to the foregoing specification this 21st day ofFebruary, 1902.

J OHAN E. GAMALIELSON.

Vitnesses JARRETT T. Ln'wls, I. A. HUTCHINSON.

